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Key · 01-24-2023, 11:09 AM

2000

We are moving on into the 2000's, and what better way to do that then to, well, y'know, talk about my favorite game from that year. The 2000's years were simultaneously some of my favorite gaming experiences of all time, while also being the years that I simply don't remember as much about the games as I'd like to think I do. Nonetheless, I could make a separate list specifically talking about my favorite games in the 2000's era, but I don't want to do that. Because I'm doing this here, which is really the same thing. Anyway, we're talking about Banjo-Tooie today. Not that I necessarily want to bring up the Banjo-Kazooie games again, as I've talked about them many times over the years, I just don't have many other experiences from this particular year that had the same effect on me as a lover of games that Banjo-Tooie brought. Games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and Spyro: Year of the Dragon are fantastic games in their own respects, but I haven't really experienced them enough myself to formulate enough words to express how I feel about them.

As you can probably guess, based solely on the many times I've talked about Banjo-Tooie, it is up there as being one of my favorite games of all time, while also being one of my favorite sequels of another one of my favorite games of all time, being Banjo-Kazooie. I've talked time and time again why this game falls in that particular set of categories, but I don't mind going over it again, be it a little less flashy. Banjo-Tooie is just one of those games that I feel I can go back to, and the experience would be as fun and rich as it was the first time I ever played it. But nothing would ever be able to replace how it felt to get through the game the first time. Especially when you consider that this game had a lot to live up to with Banjo-Kazooie being as good as it was. And man, they nailed every bit of it. The adventuring aspect, the new levels, the new moves you can learn. It basically took Banjo-Kazooie to another peak, and that's impressive considering Banjo-Kazooie was on a peak of its own. It's basically everything a sequel should be. Games have definitely managed to do this many times over the years, but back when I wasn't really all too familiar with the concept of a sequel, playing through a game like this was just a good experience through and through.

And despite the many times I have brought this game up, I still feel like it's worth mentioning that the level design is definitely on par in some areas and some are super creative and interesting. What they all have in common however is that they are not only fun to go through, they are full of little bits of adventure for you to get sucked into. It just feels grander in scale compared to its predecessor, and again, that is the whole idea of a sequel. But with the combination of the cool level designs, mix that with an open world that almost feels endless, the game wraps itself nicely in this atmosphere that makes you feel like your taking on this whole world, and simultaneously it feels like the world is living in its own right, and you're just adventuring through it. Each level has its own unique theme and all the characters revolve around that theme which just adds to the world feeling alive.

Other than the levels having their own unique charm, there are two other specific things that I remember enjoying the most, and that is both the transformation of Kazooie into dragon Kazooie, and the powerup that allows you to split the duo apart. Both of these add a unique difference in play style that we never really got to experience in Banjo-Kazooie. That game focused solely on the idea that the two work as an inseparable duo, so I always thought it was really cool that the two got to split up this time and learn things on their own. Which, I equally love the powerups between the two, and I don't think I ever enjoyed one more than the other. However, Kazooie is a favorite for a lot of people, and I could easily say the same, especially like I said with the addition of dragon Kazooie.

I hope the many times I've talked about this game has given you an idea of what I think about, but if it hasn't, I love Banjo-Tooie.

01-24-2023, 11:09 AM	#13 (permalink)
Key . Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 13,153	2000 - Banjo-Tooie 2000 We are moving on into the 2000's, and what better way to do that then to, well, y'know, talk about my favorite game from that year. The 2000's years were simultaneously some of my favorite gaming experiences of all time, while also being the years that I simply don't remember as much about the games as I'd like to think I do. Nonetheless, I could make a separate list specifically talking about my favorite games in the 2000's era, but I don't want to do that. Because I'm doing this here, which is really the same thing. Anyway, we're talking about Banjo-Tooie today. Not that I necessarily want to bring up the Banjo-Kazooie games again, as I've talked about them many times over the years, I just don't have many other experiences from this particular year that had the same effect on me as a lover of games that Banjo-Tooie brought. Games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 and Spyro: Year of the Dragon are fantastic games in their own respects, but I haven't really experienced them enough myself to formulate enough words to express how I feel about them. As you can probably guess, based solely on the many times I've talked about Banjo-Tooie, it is up there as being one of my favorite games of all time, while also being one of my favorite sequels of another one of my favorite games of all time, being Banjo-Kazooie. I've talked time and time again why this game falls in that particular set of categories, but I don't mind going over it again, be it a little less flashy. Banjo-Tooie is just one of those games that I feel I can go back to, and the experience would be as fun and rich as it was the first time I ever played it. But nothing would ever be able to replace how it felt to get through the game the first time. Especially when you consider that this game had a lot to live up to with Banjo-Kazooie being as good as it was. And man, they nailed every bit of it. The adventuring aspect, the new levels, the new moves you can learn. It basically took Banjo-Kazooie to another peak, and that's impressive considering Banjo-Kazooie was on a peak of its own. It's basically everything a sequel should be. Games have definitely managed to do this many times over the years, but back when I wasn't really all too familiar with the concept of a sequel, playing through a game like this was just a good experience through and through. And despite the many times I have brought this game up, I still feel like it's worth mentioning that the level design is definitely on par in some areas and some are super creative and interesting. What they all have in common however is that they are not only fun to go through, they are full of little bits of adventure for you to get sucked into. It just feels grander in scale compared to its predecessor, and again, that is the whole idea of a sequel. But with the combination of the cool level designs, mix that with an open world that almost feels endless, the game wraps itself nicely in this atmosphere that makes you feel like your taking on this whole world, and simultaneously it feels like the world is living in its own right, and you're just adventuring through it. Each level has its own unique theme and all the characters revolve around that theme which just adds to the world feeling alive. Other than the levels having their own unique charm, there are two other specific things that I remember enjoying the most, and that is both the transformation of Kazooie into dragon Kazooie, and the powerup that allows you to split the duo apart. Both of these add a unique difference in play style that we never really got to experience in Banjo-Kazooie. That game focused solely on the idea that the two work as an inseparable duo, so I always thought it was really cool that the two got to split up this time and learn things on their own. Which, I equally love the powerups between the two, and I don't think I ever enjoyed one more than the other. However, Kazooie is a favorite for a lot of people, and I could easily say the same, especially like I said with the addition of dragon Kazooie. I hope the many times I've talked about this game has given you an idea of what I think about, but if it hasn't, I love Banjo-Tooie. Last edited by Key; 01-24-2023 at 12:22 PM.